Daily consumption of a range of berries, including lingonberry, sea buckthorn, bilberry, and black currant produced a 23 per cent reduction in levels of an enzyme called alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), a well-established marker of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to findings published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Fatty liver is reportedly on the rise in the US, with between one quarter and one half of Americans, and the prevalence of NAFLD has increased in line with the ongoing obesity epidemic.

Recent findings have also reported that metabolic syndrome, a condition characterised by central obesity, hypertension, and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism, and linked to increased risks of both type 2 diabetes and CVD, does not develop at all without NAFLD.

Blazing a trail

The new study, led by Dr Heikki Kallio from the Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry at the University of Turku , is said to be the first human trial linking berries to liver function and components of metabolic syndrome.

Kallio and his co-workers recruited 31 women with an average age of 43 and randomly assigned them to one of two groups: Both groups underwent a lifestyle intervention, and one group received a supplement of 163 grams per day of lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), sea buckthorn berry (Hippophae rhamnoides, ssp. mongolica, var. Ljubitelskaja), bilberry (V. myrtillus) and black currant (Ribes nigrum). Berries were supplied as food products and intended to replace other snacks. Five Finnish food enterprises manufactured the products, noted the researchers.

At the end of 20 weeks, ALAT levels decreased by 23 per cent in the berry group, which the researchers said could be regarded as “nutritionally significant by enhancing the liver function”.

Furthermore, levels of adiponectin increased, said the researchers. Adiponectin is a protein hormone linked to various metabolic processes, and levels are inversely related to body fat levels.

Berry good potential

“This study showed that the daily consumption of more than 150 g of northern berries in various forms as part of the normal diet had a positive affect on ALAT and adiponectin levels, but the small amount of berries consumed as part of normal diet in lifestyle group was not enough to evoke such an impact,” wrote Kallio and his co-workers.

“Present study results indicate common northern berries and berry products as an effective component of lifestyle modifications aimed at decreasing development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent complications,” they added.

According to the Finnish researchers, the berries may working via non-antioxidative mechanisms, with studies showing no influence on the total antioxidant capacity of blood, but changes to markers of inflammation.

The science, testing and regulation surrounding antioxidants will be discussed at the upcoming NutraIngredients Antioxidants 2010 Conference. For more information and to register, please click here. http://www.ni-antioxidants.com/page/home.html

Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi:10.1038/ejcn.2010.27
“Berry meals and risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome”
Authors: H-M Lehtonen, J-P Suomela, R. Tahvonen, J. Vaarno, M. Venojarvi, J. Viikari, H. Kallio

And drinking more cups appears to confer additional risk reductions, with five or more cups a day associated with a 23 per cent reduction in risk, according to findings from the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study published in Preventive Medicine.

Being an observational study, the findings do not prove causality, but the link does appear to be biologically plausible, state the authors, led by Yasushi Koyama from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. Previous studies have reported that green tea catechins may inhibit the action of oral bacteria linked to development of periodontal disease, they said.

“A number of experimental studies have shown that green tea catechins inhibit oral bacteria, while some experiments have indicated that the concentration of tea catechin conferring the above effect should be more than 100 mg/100 ml,” wrote the authors. “A typical preparation of green tea contains a catechin concentration of 50–150 mg/100 ml.

“Therefore, this amount of catechin contained in one cup of green tea might be sufficient to aid tooth retention,” they added.

Green tea

The majority of science on tea has looked at green tea, with benefits reported for reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and certain cancers, improving cardiovascular and oral health, as well as aiding in weight management.

Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. Oolong tea is semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.

source: Preventive Medicine

Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.01.010

“Association between green tea consumption and tooth loss: Cross-sectional results from the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study”

Authors: Y. Koyama, S. Kuriyama, J. Aida, T. Sone, N. Nakaya, K. Ohmori-Matsuda, A. Hozawa, I. Tsuji

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For many of us, excuses not to exercise come pretty easily. So you may have talked yourself into the idea that it’s just too hot to exercise today… tomorrow… this summer.

Sorry to rain on your hot idea, but you CAN still exercise in warm temperatures.

It’s true that heat exhaustion and heat stroke are real dangers of exercising in the summer. Heat exhaustion symptoms include general fatigue, weakness, nausea, dizziness, muscle cramps and an increase in body temperature. Heat stroke signs include temperatures above 104, an inability to sweat, trouble breathing and loss of consciousness.

The key to exercising in the summer is to take precautions and plan to adapt your routine as necessary. Here are five cool tips to keep moving.

1. Choose the right time. It seems like a no-brainer, but it’s best to exercise when it’s cooler, such as in the early morning or evening.

2. Keep the water flowing. When exercising in the heat, you’re destined to lose more water. To avoid dehydration, drink 20 ounces of water two hours before exercise. Just before heading into the heat, drink another 8 ounces and continue sipping water every 15-20 minutes during exercise. (Bring a water bottle with you.) Avoid caffeine and alcohol before exercising because they can speed the effects of dehydration. A quality sports drink, such as Innergize!® from Relìv, can help replenish electrolytes and energy, as well as keep you hydrated.

3. Adapt your workout. If the mercury is soaring into the 90s and the humidity is high, realize you’re going to have to slow down or adjust when you do your workout and how hard you push. Stop and rest along the way if you need to. And see #1.

4. Dress for the occasion. Light, breathable clothing that wicks away sweat is your best choice. Light colors that reflect some of the sun’s rays will help keep you cooler, too. Wear shorts to avoid heat build-up from your leg muscles, which are the largest and hardest working on walks, runs or cycling. A ventilated, brimmed hat and sunglasses are helpful, too.

5. File a flight plan. Tell someone where you’re going and how long you’ll be gone. And bring a cell phone if possible. That way if you’re overdoing it, not feeling well or feel like it’s time to quit, help is available.

Now forget your excuses and get moving!

source:http://Reliv.com

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Before going to the supermarket , I would think of foods my family would like for quick “pick-me-up” snacks. This could be their “fast food” or snacks.

Raw fruits and vegetables are great to include. You might consider fruit such as grapes, apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries or other berries. Add some veggies like carrots, cut up cauliflower, celery sticks and others. And you might want to have on hand non-sweetened cereals, granola bars, yogurt, dried fruits, cheese, whole grain crackers, and nuts.

Especially now when children are home for the summer, it’s good to have nutritious grab-and-go foods available. A great part of their nutrition made simple .

Here’s to happy and healthy snacking.

Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. Its heavily corrected text is of outstanding importance for the history of the Bible and the manuscript – the oldest substantial book to survive Antiquity – is of supreme importance for the history of the book.

The name ‘Codex Sinaiticus’ literally means ‘the Sinai Book’.

It reflects two important aspects of the manuscript: its form and a very special place in its history.

‘Codex’ means ‘book’. By the time Codex Sinaiticus was written, works of literature were increasingly written on sheets that were folded and bound together in a format that we still use to this day. This book format was steadily replacing the roll format which was more widespread just a century before when texts were written on one side of a series of sheets glued together to make a roll. These rolls were made of animal skin (like most of the Dead Sea Scrolls) or the papyrus plant (commonly used for Greek and Latin literature).

Using the papyrus codex was a distinctive feature of early Christian culture. The pages of Codex Sinaiticus however are of prepared animal skin called parchment. This marks it out as standing at an important transition in book history. Before it we see many examples of Greek and Latin texts on papyrus roll or papyrus codex, but almost no traces of parchment codices. After it, the parchment codex becomes normative.

During its history – particularly its modern history – parts of Codex Sinaiticus were also known by other names. The 43 leaves which are now at Leipzig University Library were published in 1846 as ‘Codex Frederico-Augustanus’ in honour of Frederick Augustus II, King of Saxony, who was the patron of the German Biblical scholar and editor of Codex Sinaiticus, Constantine Tischendorf. The 347 leaves now in The British Library were previously known as ‘Codex Sinaiticus Petropolitanus’, as they were kept in St Petersburg between 1863 and 1933.

source:http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/

A former American surfer now engaged to an unusual activity: shooting waves inside them.

Clark Little, of 39 years, began making the images after his wife expressed a desire to have a picture to decorate the couple’s home in Hawaii.

Two years ago, he lives with the money they earn from the sale of photos.

“The sea is my second home and I love what I do,” said Little. “There is that feeling for me to see the work as an obligation.”

The photographer noted that to obtain the best images, he uses a camera able to get up to ten pictures per second.

The waves he does vary between 90 cm and 4.5 m.

Often, he came to be hurled up to 10 m away from its original location.

“Whenever there is a risk for me, for the strength and size of waves. But my experience as a surfer leaves me free to see the waves without fear,” he said.

The Queens Day or Koninginnedag of Netherlands falls on 30 April. Orange is the colour of the their Royal family. You can see that the Amsterdam’s streets, roads, parks and canals come alive in a sea of Orange. It is preferable if not mandatory to wear orange during this national event of the Amsterdam Orange Festival.

The following note above  I have received on the mail , but  going through the pictures , I have noticed mountains and hills, which do not excist in the Netherlands .You may also recognize the architecture which is noit a typical Niederland form of architecture.I made  more research  and have discovered that this festival is celebrated  somewhere in Southern part  of France called the Festival Citrusov.

The report, Market Trend: Kosher- and Halal-Certified Foods in the US, asserted that as consumers become more aware of ethical food issues, it is likely that more people will turn to halal and kosher foods, as the religious laws surrounding both Islam and Judaism tend to respect the land and animal welfare, as well as personal health.

“For ethical eaters who are not vegetarians, the knowledge that kosher and halal laws require humane treatment and slaughter of animals is certain to be an appealing concept,” it said.

But Joyce D’Silva, spokesperson for Compassion in World Farming told FoodNavigator-USA.com: “Unfortunately, I think they [consumers] actually perceive the opposite. I’m not saying they are right to do so, because there is probably not much difference at the moment…there’s no guarantee because something’s halal or kosher that the animal will have been well treated.”

However, D’Silva added that ensuring animal welfare is very much in keeping with both Muslim and Jewish teaching.

She said: “I think the idea of saying a prayer over the animal is quite respectful. If you are a believer it is probably a very good thing to honor the life of the animal…but if you are an animal, you want to be stunned when you have your throat cut.”

Rules of slaughter

Stunning the animal before slaughter, as used in modern slaughterhouses, is forbidden according to Orthodox Judaism and only some Muslims accept certain kinds of stunning.

Slaughtering an animal without stunning it first has been forbidden in the United States since 1958, apart from in the case of ritual slaughter, which is protected by law: The Humane Slaughter Act defines ritual slaughter as one of two humane methods of slaughter.

Under kosher law, animals must be slaughtered by a specially trained ritual slaughterer, called a shochet, who draws a sharp knife across the animal’s neck and lets the blood drain out.

For meat to be considered halal, animals must be slaughtered in a similar manner by a specially trained slaughterer called a dhabih, in the name of Allah.

Packaged Facts said that kosher and halal certification holds appeal for the increasing number of consumers who are concerned about the provenance of their food. The report said: “As methods of slaughter go, both shechita (kosher) and dhabihah (halal) are generally considered to be humane and mindful of animal welfare.”

Both Muslims and Jews are instructed that it is forbidden to slaughter sick animals, they must have been treated well, and their death should be quick and painless.

But D’Silva said this is not always the case. “You can go into a supermarket and buy two standard chickens, one halal and one not. The only difference between them is likely to be that they might have been slaughtered slightly differently.”

By Caroline Scott-Thomas, 21-Apr-2009

I have been using Safepay Solutions since 2006. I requested a withdrawal of an amount of money to my Bank Account way back in May 2009. According to their terms for International Transactions this includes a 25$ transaction fee.

This fee had been deducted from my account..

They state that it would take 8-12 day for delivery, and for International accounts it may take longer..

I understand it would take a few weeks but months????? We are living in a computerized worlds where Bank transactions normally take a few hours…But months before one receives a deposit on to an account is not normal….We are not living in the seventies. ..Where are my funds???? Are they using it???? Or is Safepay really a Scam.

I have written to Support and get back a reply that I have to login to check my support ticket. What do I find there? only my own support letter/ request…

I tried to call their Main Office in Las Vegas, and an automatic answering machine replies stating to go to login to my account and check support, where I don’t get any reply only find my own support ticket…..

If you were me what would you do?

Are they not reacting to my request since to their knowledge I’m not living in the United States???

I have seen the same complains here online from people living outside the USA too… Are they taking advantage of the situation….?????

The only way I may be able to get assistance is though publishing this post and making it public that’s maybe some one out there may have the right connections and see to it that companies like this who are not kosher be removed form their activities or arrested!!!!